Dying to Get High: Inside the Opioid Epidemic

ABC 6 spent time in East Liverpool, Ohio seeing just how the opioid epidemic has hit the small, eastern Ohio town, and how they're trying to deal with the problems. (WSYX/WTTE)

EPISODE ONE: A LOSING BATTLE

Officers are stretched thin and often diverted from going after dealers and suppliers because addicts are overdosing. See firsthand what police are dealing with and how the opioid epidemic has become a losing battle.

Police in one Ohio town are dealing with drug overdose deaths almost daily. Despite an aggressive effort to clean up the streets, more dangerous drugs are coming in from larger cities. The challenge is sending a strong message of ‘not in my backyard’ in order to get in front of the problem.

EPISODE TWO: REPEAT OFFENDER

A drug addict known to local police tells his story of growing up in a crack house, stealing from family and friends for drugs, and the newer opioids that are killing his friends almost daily. He has overdosed numerous times and lives to tell of his struggles, including run-ins with police.

EPISODE THREE: DANGEROUS EXPOSURE

Following a drug bust, East Liverpool Officer Chris Green was inadvertently exposed to fentanyl, a potentially deadly powdery opioid. He overdosed and nearly died. Green highlights the challenges and dangers facing police and the need for increased awareness. He’s made it his mission to put a dent in the opioid epidemic.

COMING UP: DYING TO GET HIGH

The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation has a lab devoted to determining the chemical makeup of drugs seized off Ohio streets. Wednesday on FOX 28 News at Ten, Brooks Jarosz goes inside the lab and back to East Liverpool to see how police are responding to this expansive problem.